Home Design Software?

[pianoman]

Possibly this should be in the Technology forum, but it is House / Home related so I am posting it here...

As I will be building a home here in Issan starting in Oct. / Nov., I would like to try and find some software to use to start designing the layout of what I would like...

I have seem many of the Home Design Books available here in Thailand, but would prefer to customize the designs a bit myself... Anyone know of or used such a program that they can recommend ????

Pianoman

[udon]

Have a look at sketchup4 at Link...

[chownah]

Pencil and paper are good for starters....try to find some grid paper and depending on the size of the squares you assign them a size...like four squares makes one meter. This is, of course in case you find the software too much hassle. I use either AutoCad or Microstation for drawing everything including house plans...but it takes a while to get the hang of it with these. These are both available cheaply in Thailand.

[lopburi3]

I have used 3D Home Architect for many years. It can't do everything and there is a learning curve but it is probably easier than the professional versions. It can be checked for 15 days from download.com or you may see for sale locally.

[ProThaiExpat]

If you buy and go through the learning curve involved with a CAD, at least get a program that allows the placement of furniture and fixtures. A must if you want your rooms to function well and your electrical to be placed right. A reflected ceiling plan is also a very good idea.

[Boon Mee]

I'm using Microsoft Visio Pro 2003 and it's not too bad.

Learning curve not at all as steep as AutoCad or AutoSketch and has lots more features than either of those programs.

[stevehaigh]

i find all the home architect programs very limited as soon as you try to do anything even slightly unusual, such as a thai style, gable above, hip below roof.

I use Rhino3D; it's a professional 3D CAD design tool, like 3D studio mnax, but is a 1000 times easier to use than 3DSMax and you can get it at pantip for the usual 100 baht or so. once you have leared how to use it, you can design anything from a house to a space station and render it in photorealistic detail.

I used rhino for my house, you can see a picture on my website.

steve

[chownah]

If you buy and go through the learning curve involved with a CAD, at least get a program that allows the placement of furniture and fixtures.  A must if you want your rooms to function well and your electrical to be placed right.  A reflected ceiling plan is also a very good idea.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What is a "reflected ceiling plan"?

[ProThaiExpat]

chownah: A reflected ceiling plan is essentially a "floor plan" for the ceiling, or if you will, what the ceiling would look like if the floor was a "mirror" ie "reflection". It shows all the electrical fixtures in place, vents, grills, airconditioners, if ceiling mounted, etc.

While I have drawn plans by hand for some remodels and I did it by hand for my Thai custom house, I have used the CADs and after spending hours learning how to do it, I did realize they provide a very major important feature and that is they will draw "elevations" automatically, that is what a view of a wall in any compass dirrection looks like, ie. showing doors, windows and the like. Very important to do for the outside of the house, so you will know what your house will look like before you build.

When you have a completed CAD set of plans, then a set of "as built" plans is a piece of cake and a lot eassier than erasing the original, after copying of course, and modifying it to show "as built".

For those who are doing a set of plans for a "dream house" and don't have a lot of experience, take measurements of spaces your familiar with and use those mesurement as a guide to measurements on your plan. Make sure you allow for wall thickness as well.

Areas where dimmensions are critical include toilet spaces. Actually sit on a toilet and take measurements to side walls, front walls, toilet paper holder, hygene spray etc. A few inches in the wrong directions can make life in the long term constantly uncomfortable. Thais have no idea of falang dimensions for comfort and often locate the hygene spray so high on the wall that it appears to be a showpiece, when function and form commands it be located out of site, low against a sidewall. A privacy half wall costs little and does a lot to shield the toilet and its function from the bathing facilities and lavatory.

For the men reading this post, consider a attractive high tech urinal for your new bathroom, tucked in a corner of the bath with a privacy wall. When you consider how often you use the toilet in 24 hours and for what, a urinal certainly is more functional than a toilet for a man. The attractive ones cost about 3k Bhat and installation costs, including materials are not much over 500 Bhat.

A urnal eliminates "raise the toilet seat" admonitions from the little lady, water fall sounds in the of the night and "overspray" problems.

Edited July 6, 2005 by ProThaiExpat

[chownah]

chownah:  A reflected ceiling plan is essentially a "floor plan" for the ceiling, or if you will, what the ceiling would look like if the floor was a "mirror" ie "reflection".  It shows all the electrical fixtures in place, vents, grills, airconditioners, if ceiling mounted, etc.

..............................

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So the reflected ceiling plan shows what you would see if you laid down on the floor and looked up at the ceiling? This is not the same thing you would see if the floor was a mirror and you looked into this 'mirror'....for example...if you put a clock face on the ceiling and you laid down on the floor and looked at it it would look like a regular clock face (of course).....but if the floor was a mirror and you viewed the clock face in the mirror then the numbers on the face would be backwards and the clock would turn in a counter-clockwise direction (you might call this 'anti-clockwise direction'). Do you know which of these alternatives is what you get when you make a 'reflected ceiling plan'?